BPD Exonerated in Rims Shooting

The Gazette reports that, following a coroner’s inquest, a jury came to the decision Wednesday that Billings Police officers were justified in shooting and killing Ryan Edward Lowell at the conclusion of a nearly hour-long standoff on the Billings Rims last May. The coroner’s inquest is required under Montana law whenever law enforcement is involved in a fatal shooting or someone dies in law enforcement custody. Lowell could be seen brandishing a handgun multiple times in Billing Police patrol vehicle dashboard-camera footage of the incident.

The standoff ended when he fired a single shot and was subsequently struck by at least five bullets and as many as eight shotgun pellets, according to Montana Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Robert Kurtzman, who performed the autopsy. Lowell was transported by ambulance to Billings Clinic where he was pronounced dead about an hour later.